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v i UNITED STATES FATnNT @Ti-ica Y,

STEPHEN B. LUCE, OF NEVPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

DEAD-EYE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,993, dated December25, 1883.

To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, STEPHEN B. LUCE, of Newport, in the county of Newportand State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Dead-Eyes, of

full, clear, and exact .p setting-up rope or lanyard,which is rove fromone to the other thereof, and one end of the rope is secured in anysuitable manner to` one of the dead-eyes and the other end is left freeto be fastened to and unfastened from any suitable xture of the ship orto the other dead-eye, so as t0 be capable of being manipulated to setup the ships rigging as desired, and when such setting up is completedto be made fast and secure. Y

This invention relates to a dead-eye for such use and purpose; and itconsists of a dead-eye made of metal or other suitable material, andconstructed with a series of external and parallel peripheral grooves ofa construction and arrangement to receive a coil or doubling of thesetting-up rope or line, and keep such coil or doubling, and thus leavethem free for movement through and along said grooves withoutinterference between and friction of one coil upon another, incombination with an ear-piece joined by a cross pin or bolt, or withother device or devices of suitable construction, not only to keep therope rove through the dead-eye, as aforesaid, from slipping laterallyoff the same, but also to connect thev dead-eye either to the shipsrigging or to the deck, or other suitable fixture of the ship, accordingas the dead-eye is used at either one or the other end ofthe setting-uprope for the dead-eyes to swing on such connections, all substantiallyas., hereinafter described,

In the accompanying plate of drawings the present improved dead-eye isillustrated, Figure 1 being a vertical section of two of the sameconnected by the setting-up rope, and showing one as secured in positionto the side or deck of the ship and the other to the shroud.

Application filed May-19, 1883.l (No model.)

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the eye of Fig. 1, which is shown as securedin position; Fig. 3, an edge view of the dead-eyes of Fig. l, with thesetting-up rope removed; Fig. 4, aface or side view, enlarged, of thedead-eye shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5, an edgel view of Fig. 4, but

showing a part in central vertical section;

Fig. 6, a face or side view similar to Fig. 4, but showing modification.

In the drawings, A represents a dead-eye. This dead-eye is made of metalor of other suitable material, preferably of metal, and it has a seriesof parallel grooves, a, each of which partaially surrounds its externalperiphery, B, extending, however, at least one-half of said periphery,if not more, and of a sufficient depth, and with sufficient separationto keep the coils or doublings of the setting-up rope which are in themapart and out of contact with each other, and for the said several coilsof the rope to have free movement through and along said groove withoutinterference between and friction of one coil upon another.

G C are two ear-pieces projecting beyond `the grooved periphery B of thedead-eye at each side or face thereof, joined by a cross bolt or pin, D,fastened againstescape in any suitable inannerdas, for instance, bymeans of a head, E, at one end and a cross-pin, F, driven through thebolt D at the other end, each outside of the ear-pieces.

G is a staple or pin, having an eye, b, by which it is swiveled or hungupon the crossbolt and swung thereon between inside faces of theear-pieces. This staple or pin is fastened in any suitable manner to theside or deck or other suitable iixture of the ship, and thus onedead-eye being secured inA place, the other dead-eye is attached, by itspin in the usual' manner, to the ships rigging or shroud K through itsthimble L, as shown in Fig. 2, and thus, with the setting-up roperunning from one dead-eye to the other, and doubled or coiled partiallyabout and within the grooves a of each of said dead-eyes, as has beendescribed, and said rope fastened at one end to one of said dead-eyes,as shown at w, Fig. l,

and left free at the other end, y, to be ma IOO pulling upon or letting'out the rope H, first having unfastened its endo ,the ships rigging maybe set up as desired, and the rope then being` made fastor secure, therigging, when so set up, will be held against accidental movement orchange.

I am aware that a sheave-bloek has heretofore been composed of sheavesjournaled to rotate in a forked block; and I am also aware that woodendeadeyes, supported in metallic encircling-straps, have been constructedwith transverse rounded perforations, through which the lanyards pass.Such constructions, however, do not constitute my invention, and arehereby disclailned.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

S. B. LUCE.

\Vitnesses:

EDWIN W. BROWN, XVM. S. BnLLows.

